Coffin touts communication in TPS interview

The first of three finalists for superintendent was interviewed Tuesday by the Tecumseh Board of Education.

Kelly Coffin is one of three administrators seeking to become the new superintendent of Tecumseh Public Schools. Mike McAran is retiring at the end of the school year.

The board has scheduled a special meeting for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, to narrow its choices even further and decide what step to take next.

Coffin spent Tuesday meeting with staff and members of the community before meeting with the board for her second interview during the evening.

The second round of interviews has questions of a more specific nature with an eye toward getting to know the candidate’s style and leadership ability. The questions dealt with the direction public education is taking and how the new superintendent would help guide the school district.

Coffin, who is currently assistant superintendent and director of instructional services at the Lenawee Intermediate School District, was asked why she would leave that position to come back to Tecumseh, where she was a teacher from 1996 to 2004. She said this is the only job she wants.

“This is where my heart and soul are. This is my community. This is where I want to do the work,” she said. “It is a very difficult decision, but I think this is my time.”

Coffin said communication is the most important part of a superintendent’s job. Besides meeting and talking with staff, she said reaching out to the district’s stakeholders is key.

“I see myself — the superintendent — as being the ambassador for the school,” Coffin said. “One way for me to hit the ground running would be by going to community groups, parent groups and (being) really purposeful on communicating the vision and the direction that we have agreed that Tecumseh Public Schools needs to go.”

Coffin said, a quality education is about placing the right people in the right positions and making certain a teacher is in the right class to meet his or her strengths. Keeping education on track is really about having a vision and getting everybody on the same page.

“What I would like to see is Tecumseh Public Schools become the flagship school, at least of the county, if not in the region,” Coffin said. “I want people to look at Tecumseh Public Schools and say, ‘We want to do what they’re doing.’ I don’t want to look at the MEAP scores and have to worry about where we compare to the county average. I want to know that we are already there.”

To get there, the district will need to focus on the core work, which is teaching and learning, she said. A successful school district focuses on communication and collaboration. Coffin said she will be very visible in the district to administrators and faculty to the point of scheduling specific times when she will be out of the office and in classrooms and buildings observing, listening and talking. She will also attend teacher and administrator meetings to learn their concerns and to learn what they feel is being done right.

“I am a very strong advocate for kids. Every decision I make is collaborative. That’s how I function,” she said.

Stemming the exodus of students from the district was a concern of the board and several audience members. David LaCasse is a parent whose daughter had transferred to another district because a situation was not handled to the family’s satisfaction.

“I really encourage the board to concentrate on why kids are not attending Tecumseh Public Schools when they live here,” LaCasse said.

Coffin agreed. She said that was a topic of interest during her meetings with the community and staff during the day Tuesday. In the case of her children who already attend Tecumseh, she said they choose to stay there because of the relationships with their teachers.

“What is happening is that somehow, we are losing that connection,” Coffin said. “I will have to do some digging to find out why some 500 students who live in our district choose not to come here.”

Sean McNatt and Michael Osborne are next for interviews at 7 p.m. the next two evenings in the administrative services building, 212 N. Ottawa St. McNatt’s interview is tonight; Osborne’s is Thursday.

McNatt is superintendent of Breckenridge Community Schools, and Osborne is superintendent of Hudson and Morenci schools. Osborne is also scheduled to interview for superintendent of Holly Community Schools Wednesday, Feb. 20.

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